Winter Warm-Up and Immune Boosting “Teas”

Baby it’s coooooold outside! At least in most of the country and here in Washington D.C. on this January day we have a nice little snow coverage. It’s nothing compared to those Northeast of us but temps are below freezing and schools are delayed so it seems like a perfect day to post these Winter Warm-Up and Immune Boosting recipes to help you survive these cold days and stay healthy!

For all these recipes I recommend using filtered water – not bottled water. If you don’t have a good water filter, make this a priority. For a great filtering option check out the SHOP page for a link to Alkaviva – I use one of their ionizers because it filters out 99.9% of particulates and chemicals in the water. The water tastes great and is super hydrating!

Serving Size: The recipes below are more or less a one-two person serving since I am usually making these during the morning rush of getting kids ready for school/nanny share as a reboot and recovery beverage since most nights these days my 2-year old is climbing into our bed to sleep in the middle of the night and seriously disrupting my sleep patterns. You can make a larger batch, however, and have it readily available. See below for Make-N-Save tips.

Lemon Ginger

Place 2 tbsps of fresh organic lemon juice + 2-3 slices of fresh ginger (cut peel off) in a saucepan. Add 3 1/2 cups of water and boil. Turn off heat and let steep 1-2 minutes. Strain if you desire or just pour directly into your cup. Drink and warm up! Add organic honey or agave if you prefer a little sweeter taste.

Mint Orange Cinnamon

Add 3 cinnamon sticks + juice of one orange and the rind of the orange (wash using a fruit and vegetable spray before adding to water) + 1/2 cup of loose packed mint to saucepan with 3 1/2 cups of water and boil. Turn off heat and let steep 1-2 minutes. Pour, drink, feel cozy inside! Add organic honey or agave if you want it a little sweeter.

Make-N-Save

Add one quart of water to a saucepan and add double the ingredients listed above. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover the saucepan and steep until 5-7 minutes. For a warm beverage pour into a tea cup immediately. You can save the rest after it completely cools by adding to a glass container or individual jars for up to one week. Reheat in a saucepan or drink cold.